Terraforming: Day 5 · 6:40am Aug 14th, 2015
I've got an hour and a half to write this out. Would have started earlier, but Critical Role streams on Thursdays and I am a sucker for Dungeons and Dragons.
Prompt: Firsts (suggested by Auramane)
[Slice of Life] [Canon to the First Meeting/First Impressions Universe]
Octavia Philharmonica tossed and turned, kicking off her bed covers, then drawing them up to her chin. She shut her eyes for a few moments, then stared directly up at the ceiling for a few moments more. It was a cold night by Canterlot standards, but Octavia felt as though she were bathed in sweat. The notes ran through her head just as they were written on the sheet music. She could picture every note she'd made in the margins, the tempo markings she'd highlighted in yellow, the articulations highlighted in a light purple.
Octavia turned in her bed, her eyes falling on the shadow of her cello. Was leaving it outside alright? Wouldn't the heat warp the wood? Maybe the strings needed changing. Did she have rosin in the cello case? She had to check.
The filly climbed out of her bed, walking over to her hard shell cello case. She unzipped it slowly, wincing every time the zipper made a bit too much noise. It took a full minute, but Octavia successfully extracted her cello and, looking within one of the case's pockets, confirmed that her pouch of rosin was as full as ever. She ran a hoof over her cello's strings, plucking out notes as quietly as she could. Yes, the strings seemed fine but was it her imagination or were they out of tune? That wouldn't do. Octavia plucked out even more notes, playing with the tuning pegs. Once she was satisfied with the tuning, Octavia decided that it was a waste to put all of that work into her cello and not get any practice out of it, so she extracted her bow from the case, balanced herself against her cello and quietly, as quietly as she could, ran through some of the trickier bits of the piece. When those came easily, she turned towards the simpler parts. When she finished those, Octavia went through the entire piece, having thoroughly forgotten her attempts at stealth.
The door to Octavia's room opened suddenly, revealing a bleary eyed and thoroughly disheveled Harmonia. "Octavia," she croaked, "it's two in the morning. What are you doing?"
Octavia stood stock-still, her eyes wide. "Practicing?" she offered hesitantly.
"In pitch darkness? How can you even read the sheet music?"
"I-I don't need the sheet music."
Harmonia sighed, rubbing at her eyes. "No, I suppose you wouldn't; you spend all of you waking hours staring at the music. Have you started dreaming about it too?"
Octavia shook her head.
"Well, that's something. You really should get some sleep, Octavia."
The filly nodded slowly. "Okay." She disengaged herself from her cello, beginning the long process of storing away her instrument.
Harmonia watched on, leaning against the doorway. Octavia put everything away, reluctantly dragging herself back onto her bed, sitting awkwardly on the covers. Harmonia smiled softly from her place at the door frame. "You don't have to be nervous."
"I'm not nervous," Octavia responded defensively.
"There's nothing wrong with it. Just... trust in what you've done up until now."
"I'm not nervous," Octavia repeated, more to herself than to her sister.
Harmonia sighed. "Alright, fine. Then you're heading right to sleep, aren't you?"
Octavia chewed the inside of her lower lip. "If... if I was nervous, how would I stop being nervous?"
"You could try sleeping."
"I tried that already. It didn't work."
"Well, we could try talking about what's making you nervous."
"That doesn't sound like it would work," Octavia said doubtfully.
"Try it. What's making you nervous?"
Octavia was silent for a time. "The performance."
"Good. What about the performance?"
"The ponies."
"Hmmmm," Harmonia said thoughtfully. "Yes, I see why you'd be nervous. Do you think that you can't play in front of a lot of ponies?"
Octavia shook her head.
"You've played in front of Mom and Dad and me a lot of times."
"This is different."
"Try imagining that you're playing in your bedroom or for one of us."
Octavia shook her head once more. "That wouldn't work."
"It works pretty well for me. Just close your eyes and pretend you're playing for somepony. Just one pony, whoever you want to play for the most."
Octavia was quiet for a time, thinking over the advice. "What if I make a mistake?"
"It doesn't matter. Move to the next note."
"What if they laugh at me?"
Harmonia smiled. "They won't. They'll be amazed."
"But what if they're not?"
"Then they're not worth worrying about. Just focus on the one pony you're actually playing for."
Octavia knit her brow in thought. "And... and that's it?"
Harmonia yawned. "Well, first you have to get some sleep."
Octavia found herself yawning in return. She pulled the covers over herself. "Okay. Good night, Harmonia."
The elder sister nodded, already almost out the door.
"Harmonia?"
"Yes, Octavia?"
"Ummm. Long Play's going to the performance, right?"
"As far as I know."
A pause. "Is he... ummmm... is he bringing—Nevermind. Good night, Harmonia."
Harmonia scowled slightly in confusion, but her sleep-deprived mind dismissed Octavia's hesitation. "Good night, Octavia." She left the room, closing the door gently behind her.
Finished with 30 minutes to spare while listening to musical soundtracks. (Mostly Finding Neverland, with spatterings of Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast, and Spring Awakening). That reminds me; I once had the idea of essentially ponifying Mary Poppins, with a disguised Celestia as Mary, Filthy Rich and his wife as Mr. and Mrs. Banks, who had to watch over Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon (who would obviously take the place of the Banks children), and Discord as Bert. I'd be amazed if no one's done this yet.
I may or may not have wanted to write that fic only because I really wanted to see Discord as Bert.
(I hit send, there was an error, and I thought that I lost everything so I freaked the fuck out, but then everything was here, so I'm okay now.)
OVER THE ROOFTOPS!
discord as bert would be great.